Flexible joint and method of making same



Feb. 26, 1935. E. PIQUEREZ 1 FLEXIBLE JOINT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAMEFiled Dec. ,6, 1952 2 Sh'eets-She'et 1 Fig.1.

EMILE PI-QUEREZ BY WdZQ-M WMLCM-p w ATTORNEYS Feb. 26, 1935. E. PIQUEREZ,6

FLEXIBLE JOINT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 6, 1932 2 Shets-Sheet 2' Fig. 3.

I/NVENTUR EMILE PIQUEREZ ATTORNEYS Patentecl Feb.'26,1935 f 1,992,631'

Emile Piquerez, Paris, France, assigno'r, by mesne assignments, toTecalemit, Limited, Brentford, England, a company of Great BritainApplication December 6, 1932, Serial No. 645,92!

' In France Dccember 10, 1931 '7 Claims. (Cl. 29149.5)

I have made application in France on the 10th A further object .of thepresent invention is to December 1931 and in Great Britain on the 23rdprovide an improved flexible joint which is simple September 1932.- inconstruction and capable of being produced The present invention relatesto improvements very economically. r, in flexible joints of the type inwhich a sleeve of With the above objects in view, a complete 5 flexiblematerial is interposed between two metal understanding of the inventionmay be'had by lic sleeves and is arranged so as to absorb therelreference to the following detailed description ative angulardisplacements of the inner and outtaken in conjunction with theaccompanying er -sleeves without moving relatively thereto. The drawingsin which: I present invention is adapted to be applied to all Fig. 1shows, partly in elevation and part1!) forms of such joints. in section,the application of a flexible joint to Flexible joints are used to allowthe angular a twin shackle of an automobile chassis; displacement. of amember about a shaft and, Fig. 2 shows the mounting of a flexible jointon to this end, the internal sleeve of the joint is made an overhangingaxle; and integral with the shaft. The external sleeve is Fig. 3 is asectional view of the mounting of a 15 made integral with the saidmember usually by flexible joint on a dumb-iron at the front of anfixing the sleeve with sufiicient tightness in the automobile chassis.member, the extent of the surfaces in contact Referring to thedrawings:-

allowing perfect fixation. It is much more dif- The flexible jointcomprises an external metalficult to fix the internal sleeve, however,and lie sleeve 11 and an internal sleeve 1) also of metal, 20

many methods of fixing, more or: less eificient, a rubber sleeve 0 beinginserted between the two have been proposed. sleeves. The bore of theinternal sleeve is formed Qne object of the present invention,therefore, at each of its extremities with a conical part b is to obtainan efiicient fixation of the internal which is obtained by expanding bymeans of a sleeve on the member with which it is to be made press afterthe joint has been made. The ex- 25 integral. pansion is carried out byforcing into the inner Another object of the present invention is tosleeve a conical mandrel, which opens out the providea method ofmounting a flexible joint so said sleeve and forms a perfectlydimensioned that portions of the internal sleeve which contact conicalpart. The conical parts could, however,

with corresponding portions on the member with be provided by turning,but with the disad-.

which it is to be fixed or made integral are so vantage of diminishingthe thickness of the arranged that no slipping can take place betweensleeve. 0n the contrary, the process of expandthe cooperating contactingsurfaces. ing the metal does not weaken the sleeve and-has Anotherobject of the present invention is to the advantage of causing asupplementary grip provide-means for causing and maintaining theon therubber at the ends of the joint, which axial locking of theinterengaging portions of the prevents any relative displacement ofthesleeves internal sleeve and 0f the member with" which it under theeffect of the axial supports, is to be fixed. 4 In the constructionillustrated in Figure 1, the A further object of the present inventionis to twin shackles 1 and 2 are each provided with 40 provide means fordetachably lo g the inner two conical lugs 3,. which are adapted toengage 40 sleeve to the member with which it is to be fixed. intheconical parts b of the inner sleeve of the A further obj f thepresent invention is to joint. A central bolt 4 allows the twin shacklesprovide an improved flexible joint av t e to be firmly secured together,with the consecharacteristic feature that at one at least of its quentlocking of the conical parts in position extremities, the inner memberof the :joint comand the perfect solidity of the two shackles .andprises a tapered bearing surface which is adapted of the internalsleeves b .of the joint. The exto engage with a correspondingly taperedface on ternal sleeves are forced into the members with the member withwhich it is to e fi d. which they are to co-operate, e. g. the eye of aA further Obj of the present invention is to spring 5 and a member 6fixed on the chassis of .50 provide an' improved flexible joint arrangeda vehicle. 50

that the sleeve offiexible material can be given Fig. 2 shows a methodof anchoring a spring on an initial compression in the radial directionbeto an overhanging axle 7 of a-vehicle,-the axle fore assembly of the.joint to make it .capable of being fixed to the chassis. The .axle isformed enduring oscillations of considerable angular exwith acylindricalpart 8 and with a conical part i tent. 9 on to which one-endof the inner sleeve 1; of 5s 2 the joint is locked. The aide is alsoformedwith a part of smaller diameterfon which is arranged a taperedcollar 11. A nut 12 is screwed on to the end of the said axle and forcesthe collar into wedging engagement with the tapered bore -of the innersleeve 17'. A washer 13, is arranged on the axle and 'is turned over onto one. face of the nut 12, and thus prevents the latter from of "aflexible joint to a dumb-iron at the front of a vehicle bore' of thechassis. The dumb-iron comprises a box member 14 fixed in the longeron15and formed with a side plate 16 having a conical boss 1''! on which isarranged the tapered part b of the bore of the internal sleeve b of theflexible joint. latter is secured at its other extremity by means of aside-plate 18 also having a conical boss 19 which engages in theouterconical part of the 4 sleeve 1) of the joint. The side-plate 18 is alsoformed with a tapered boss 20, which engages in a recess 21 provided inthe side-plate 16. A bolt 1'7 secures the side-plates 16 and 18 togetherand ensures the locking of the complete device. The spring-eye 5 isfitted on to the ex-. ternal sleeve a of the joint.

Numerous other methods of mountings, comprising in the flexible jointconical male parts,

conical female parts, a male part and a female part or a single lockingpart can be employed. The method of assembling of the members to whichthe flexible joint is applied and their nature or arrangement canobviously be varied.

The conical parts could, for example, be fixed on the said members inanymanner whatever and the ordinary cylindrical joint could be replaced bya spherical joint.

I claim:

1. Amethod of mounting a flexible joint. which comprises a metallichollow outer member, a

metallic inner sleeve arranged normally coaxially with said member, anda sleeve of flexible material interposed betweensaid outer member andsaid inner sleeve and adapted to absorb relative angular movement ofsaid member and said inner sleeve, said method consisting in wideningout said inner sleeve at one end so as to form a conical bore and topress against said resilient sleeve, and engaging in said conical bore acorrespondingly tapered male portion attached to one of theztwo partswhich are to be connected through said flexible joint.

2. A method of mounting a flexible joint which comprises a metallichollow outer member, a

metallic inner sleeve arranged normally coaxially with said member, andasleeve of flexible -material interposed between said outer member andsaid inner sleeve and adapted to absorb relative angular movement ofsaid member and said inner sleeve, said method consisting in wideningout said inner sleeveat one end so as to forma conical bore and to pressagainst said resilient sleeve, and.eng aging in-saicl conical bore acorrespondingly tapered male portion attached'to one of the two partswhich'are to. be connected through said flexible joint'anddetachablylocking said inner sleeve-on said taperedmale portion.

The-

s. A method of meaning a flexible joint which inner member to'formconical bores therein and to provide a supplementary grip on the sleeve4 of flexible material at the ends of the joint, and engaging said boresthus formed with correspondingly tapered portions provided on the otherof the two members which are to be connected through said flexiblejoint.

, 4. A method of mounting a flexible joint which comprises a metallicouter member, a metallic inner member normally coaxial with said outermember, and a sleeve of flexible material interposed between saidmembers and adapted to absorb relative angular movement of said members,said method comprising initially compressing said sleeve offlexiblematerial in a radial direction between said innerand outermembers, forcing'the outer member into -oneof the two parts a which areto be connected through said. flexible joint, expanding the extremitiesof said inner member to 'form conical bores therein and to provide'asupplementary grip onthe ,sleeve of flexible material at the ends of thejoint, and detachably locking the interengaging tapered members.

5. In the method of mounting a flexible joint which comprisesa ,metallicouter member, a metallic inner member normally coaxial withsaidoutermember, and a sleeve of said flexible materialinterposed-between said members and adapted to absorb relative angularmovement of said members, the step of expanding at least one end of theinner member to form a conical bore therein-and to provide-asupplementary "grip on the sleeve of flexible material.

6. A'flexible joint comprising a metallic outer member, a metallic innersleeve normally coaxial with'said outer member, a sleeve of flexiblematerial interposed between said member and said.

innersleeve, said sleeve offlexible material being adapted to beinitially compressed between said member and. said inner sleeve, saidinner sleeve being adapted to be expanded in portions to furthercompress portions of said sleeve of flexible material, and means todetachably securesaidinnersleeve to one of the two parts which areto beconnected through said flexible joint.

7..In a flexible joint, anouter member, an inner member normally coaxialtherewith, and a sleeve interposed and compressed therebetweenandadapted to absorb relative angular-movement-of said members,.saidinner member comprising a sleeve member expanded at at least one end toprovide a supplementary grip on the interposed sleeve and to provide anengageable surface for cooperation with a correspondingly shaped surfaceon one of the two parts which are to be connected through said flexiblejoint.

' EMILE PIQUEREZ

